Former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg has spoken about replacing Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the Indian T20I team. He said that the management should back Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill as the duo can form a formidable pair for the next 10 years.

India’s T20I squad is now all set to go through the transition. Veteran players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja have retired from the format. They ended their career on a high and hung up their boots after the Indian National Cricket Team won the 2024 T20 World Cup.

The youngsters have already been included in the squad as Team India is in Zimbabwe for the five-match T20I series. The team will be captained by Shubman Gill and IPL players Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Tushar Deshpande, Dhruv Jurel and others have been included in the squad for the series.

The series also marks the lead up to the 2026 T20 World Cup as all eyes will be on the youngsters to see how they perform in Indian colours. It will also be an opportunity for young talents to take the place of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the team and assert their authority.

Brad Hogg believes that Abhishek Sharma will be one of the perfect replacements for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as the left-hander bats aggressively and in today’s cricket, someone like him is needed. He stated that along with him, someone with stability is needed. In a video posted on his Twitter account, he explained:

“India will be taking on Zimbabwe and it will be a new-look Indian team but there are two spots up for grabs in the first XI and that is the opening combination. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have retired so who will fill that spot? So this tour should open a door or two to give a bit of insight and opportunity for two players to make it. I definitely have Abhishek Sharma in the top two.

“He’s aggressive. In IPL 2024, he had a strike rate of over 200 when opening the batting. At an average of 38, he doesn’t chew too many balls, he doesn’t waste time. You need that aggressive player with the way he’s changed the game, but you need him to bat with someone with a bit more conservatism in his approach.”

I think Gill has more potential than Gaikwad – Brad Hogg

Brad Hogg claimed that along with Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill would be a perfect choice for the top spot. He rated the stand-in captain above Ruturaj Gaikwad. On this, he explained:

“Someone who can bat for the whole innings and has the ability to come hard at the end of the pitch, and that is either Gaikwad or Gill. I am looking at the potential. I think Gill has more potential than Gaikwad. He is also a lot younger, so there is a lot more to see in the future.

“For me, on this tour of Zimbabwe, I would be looking for an opener combination of Abhishek Sharma and Gill, a quality opening pair who could work together for the next 10 years.”

Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill are likely to open the series against Zimbabwe. It remains to be seen how they will fare in the series.